In the US, there are about 70 million stray animals and out of them only about 6.5 million pets enter shelters annually, approximately 3.3 million dogs and 3.2 million cats.

The frozen 12

For most residents of Campbell County, Virginia, the 14 inches of snow that hit the land was just a mere discomfort. For these 12 cats, though, it was an incident that almost ended their lives.

In the evening of December 12, a passerby noticed a metal crate sticking out of the snow.

The person realized this was unusual and decided to check it out. They found the poor cats in the cage, freezing. It caught the person's attention that the tiny kittens were buried in the snow.

Animal control was alerted immediately and Melissa Labryer, an animal control officer, rushed to the scene. She quickly picked up the kittens and moved them to the nearest animal shelter.

The kittens were about 5-6 weeks old.

She called for assistance and volunteers rushed in and dug up information on how to treat hypothermia in cats. They gathered towels and hot water bottles and tried to regulate the cats' body temperature.

According to Barbe Shackelford, director of Friends of Campbell County Animal Control, things weren’t looking good for the cats.

“We started drying them immediately, but we're really concerned about the four babies, who were under 1 pound each, and were so cold and wet. They were not moving.”

However, after receiving enough warmth, the cats began to come back to life and started to play and enjoy the attention they were getting. One of the cats has already been adopted, and the others are waiting to go to their forever homes.

As for the remaining kittens buried in the snow, they are still under supervision, especially the tiniest one. Once they are fully recovered, they too will be ready for adoption.

If you see something, say something

Keeping quiet when you notice animal abuse is wrong; you should report it to your local authority as soon as possible. Here are steps you can take: